Christopher Hitchens at the "Festival of Dangerous Ideas"

by Finkelstein in

hitchens has some provocative thoughts about where much of today's monotheist beliefs originated which came out of inarguable human ignorance and how potentially dangerous and redundant they are in this modren day.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwihkm126bk.

humbled

Just passed the one hour mark, listening while l make spoons.

A fearsomely crisp thinker. Logic runs like a train on its track. He will not turn aside to accommodate any sensibilities that step in his way.

My son who was baptized at age 20 (in for a brief stint) told me later that he had a great desire to listen to Hitchens but also dreaded what effect Hitchens might have on him. His siblings saddened by his yielding to the religion often pressed him to listen.

Hitchens is doing well to debunk our god myths but he cannot nor does he try to promote a better way for us to conduct our selves in these fleeting moments of life...

well - perhaps he does in saying that do onto others as you would have them do to you—is a universal teaching that is well to follow.

I recommend a listen.

Thanks Finkelstein.

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What's the difference between a Christian and a JW?

by nowwhat? in

christians look to jesus as the redeeemer of mankind.. jw's look to jesus as the executioner of mankind!.

humbled

Christians are deluded if they think they can turn their conscience on at will once they Are signing on for only certain missions. That may be what makes him want to join. Recruiters know that.

You think the world has changed? When? How?

If l am in the trenches do l want someone to be conscience stricken When l am depending on them to help me in a tight spot? Fuck that. You’re either in or you’re out.That is the way it is if you sign up. So it must be.

If you want to have a “christian”conscience then you need to give it a good long think before you join. No one is going to sit down and hold your hand and discuss the orders with you.

Pompeo, an evangelical Christian, has saidpreviously that Islamist terrorists will “continue to press against us until we make sure that we pray and stand and fight and make sure that we know that Jesus Christ is our savior is truly the only solution for our world.”
The concerns are not that Pompeo is religious but that his religious convictions are bleeding over into the CIA.
According to four sources familiar with the matter, Pompeo, who attends weekly Bible studies held in government buildings, referenced God and Christianity repeatedly in his first all-hands speech and in a recent trip report while traveling overseas. According to a profile by the Washington Post’s Greg Miller, Pompeo is working on starting a chaplaincy for the CIA campus like the military has.
The CIA did not dispute these events. “Director Pompeo is a man of faith,” the spokesperson said. “The idea that he should not practice his faith because he is Director of CIA is absurd.”

Research WHINSEC and the CIA . See what they were involved with. Governments use patriotic youngsters for war and the kids want to be good guys. But they are controlled by forces larger than themselves.

You may believe that Christian only fight in clean causes. But l have a story of calling WHINSEC years back when it was named School of the Americas to make a point to my husband about the conflict of interest( edit: as regards Christian conscience) in terms of moral and ethical behavior. Why a Christian would be part of that slimey business is beyond me. But Pompeo will be involved with that crap now.

They will eat their own.

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What's the difference between a Christian and a JW?

by nowwhat? in

christians look to jesus as the redeeemer of mankind.. jw's look to jesus as the executioner of mankind!.

humbled

What is the point you are getting at in your post, steel?

That evangelicals do not join the military? If they join the military they are not able to dictate who they are called to fight.

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What's the difference between a Christian and a JW?

by nowwhat? in

christians look to jesus as the redeeemer of mankind.. jw's look to jesus as the executioner of mankind!.

humbled

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A huge omission from the above account.

I failed to mention this essential— General Polk was a BISHOP in the Episcopal Church.

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What's the difference between a Christian and a JW?

by nowwhat? in

christians look to jesus as the redeeemer of mankind.. jw's look to jesus as the executioner of mankind!.

humbled

The idea evangelical Christians are killing evangelical Christians is ridiculous.—steel

do evangelical Christians refuse combat? Do they poll the opposing army as to their religious affliction?

The United States fought a war that literally divided their churches. I will check it out but l recall that Southern Baptist became such as an accomodation of the war between the States. The Episcopal Church saw war on the horizon and suspended their troubled conventions until after the war to technically avoid having to write the history of the real divisions that existed between them. They slaughtered one another . Gen. Leonides Polk was an asshole of a man in my opinion who commanded one of his company to fire on the new Gen. Grant in an early battle near Cairo, IL. as Grant on a borrowed mount( his own having been shot from beneath him) was bringing up the rear and legging his mount over a plank to board their transport down the river. A feet of valor so fine that Polk’s “inferiors” refused to obey him.

Polk was a slave holder as were do many other southern clergy. But they were gratified ehen their “property” became Christian — like them.

there is a fairly ridiculous story of an Episcopal church in the South where Union forces occupied the city and came to worship. The southern minister, at sword point, had to make prayer for those in authority- “President Lincoln , or you die” in essence. Unhappy Christian.

Conflicted loyalties for sure.

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When WWII ended, how difficult was it for the JW's that had been in prison to adjust?

by Sobeit in

my husband seemed to have a hard time..

humbled

Sobeit—l have to guess what may have troubled your husband. I am going to refer to my own experience. Although I am a woman and was not subjected to the draft I have been as active as I can be to promote non-violent means of solving conflict. I used to be on board with absolute pacifism. But l am not like that now. I am not capable of standing by when a person is assaulted or endangered. I might not own a gun but l will absolutely fight for my life or the life of another. And l think this is true of most people.

Philosophically your husband may very well have felt the conflict that many of us feel when we believe that it is far better to fight for peace through helping and working for the good of our fellow man long before the flash point, as we are war is the way we have to protect ourselves against our fellow man . even Gandhi felt that at some point war was irresistible—That even a lover of peace might take up arms. The watch tower did not allow for this conscientious point of view.

Perhaps this was a thing that bothered your husband

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